The Road Ahead
by kjay15
Summary: This five-chapter story arc is about a deadly car accident that leaves families shattered. Their lives will never be the same again, and they must learn to deal with new challenges in life. Set a few years in the future, I do not own the characters or either tv show. This is for entertainment only.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

It happened in slow-motion. The collision. Despite happening in less than a second, it felt like the world had stopped. It was sudden, it was painful, it was deadly.

Riley's eyes flickered open, tiny shards of glass imbedded in her skin, and a large gash across her forehead, her lip was busted, and the deflated airbag laid under her, the horn blaring. She jumped up, gasping for air, a low shriek escaping her throat. Her hands were bloody, she noticed her leg had an open gash, blood was seeping out, staining her clothes. Her hair was stained with blood, some of it rolling down her neck. She felt burns and blisters across her neck and chin.

She glared over, there was Lucas, his face bloodied, some pouring down his nose. His eyes were closed, and his blood was staining his shirt. Riley reached over, shaking him. He didn't answer.

The backseat was empty, vacant of Maya, who had been sitting there only seconds before. Riley looked at the winshield, noticing it was shattered, and her best friend laying on the hood of the car. It was crumpled up like a prom dress, with Maya as the accessory.

"Maya!" Riley screamed, unbuckling her seatbelt, and kicking the door open. She collapsed to the ground, her leg producing copious amounts of blood. The laceration was deep. She hobbled over, leaning against the car for support.

The blood-covered blonde laid there, her clothes shredded, and she was surrounded by glass. Her best friend called out her name again, before looking back to the boy in the front seat.

* * *

Emma woke up; feeling her teeth vibrating in her mouth, her hands reached for her chest, she gasped for air, pulling the seat belt away from her, feeling the bruises form. The windshield in front of her was there, but shattered, one little touch and it would collapse. It was then she realized the car was on it's side.

She looked up at the driver seat, seeing her little brother sitting there, blood dripping from the large gash across his neck.

"Luke!" Emma choked, reaching up and gripping his arm. She noticed his legs were pressed under the steering wheel, his whole side of the car had caved in. She yelled out his name again.

She leaned up, quickly wailing in pain. A quick glance at the arm trapped underneath her, seeing your own bone was more than enough, but she saw the shredded skin, and shattered bone sticking out of her arm. Tears rolled down her face as she screamed in pain.

Blaring sounds came in range, with the sight of red and blue lights, Emma screamed louder, screaming Luke's name, screaming for help, and just, screaming of pain.

* * *

Lucas' eyes shot open, bloodshot, he began writhing and screaming in pain. The doctor standing above him, a tall woman with sun-bleached hair and chocolate-brown eyes, quickly gripped him by his shoulders, snapping one back into place. Lucas screamed louder, spitting up blood, staining the doctor's white lab-coat. His legs kicked, knocking over one of the utensil trays, through his screaming he heard one of the nurses say, "This kid's trying to kill himself..."

The doctor yelled out an order Lucas couldn't comprehend clearly, before an oxygen mask was placed over his face, his screaming and flailing subsided, before drifting off to sleep.

Riley watched from a distance, seeing the woman examine his head, as well as get one of the nurses to cut open his shirt to examine his chest. Once shirtless, Riley saw the large, deep blue mark across his rib cage, along with a large gash under his right pectoral. She was brought back to reality when she accidentally shifted, hitting her leg against the guardrail of the bed. She cringed in pain, gripping just above the wound. A doctor approached her, he had dark skin, and a head of gray hair, older-looking.

Maya was rolled in behind him, a horde of doctors surrounded her. Riley didn't even get a good look before they whisked her away. She heard one of the doctors mention brain damage.

Across the room, Emma laid unconscious. A woman with bright red hair was examining her arm, her quickly calling out for another doctor. An oxygen mask was placed firmly over her head, her hair neatly pulled back and out of her bruised and bloodied face. Luke was to her right, behind the woman checking out her practically unrecognizable arm. He too, had an oxygen mask on, and three doctors were around him, two of them wrapping a sheet around his pelvis, while the other doctor pressed his hand firmly on the boy's neck, yelling out, "He's losing too much blood! We need to get him to the O.R.! Now!"

He was quickly wheeled away, two other doctors followed them out of the room. Emma was taken out minutes later, followed by Lucas, and finally Riley.

The brunette's eyes darted across the hallway, looking to her right, to her left, even to the nurse behind her, rolling her down the long stretch of hallway. She could hear footsteps all around her, one nurse pulling her IV bag along with her, and another doctor staring at her leg. Riley's mouth was dry, her lips in desperate need of some chapstick.

She was taken into an elevator, where the oxygen was placed on her face, and she blinked her eyes a few times, hearing the muffled sounds of doctors communicating, before hearing nothing, and her eyes slowly closing.

* * *

Jessie twiddled her thumbs, the magazine she tried to read crumpled in her hands. Ravi sat beside her, silently sipping a small cup of hot chocolate he got from the vending machine a few minutes before. Across the room, two nervous parents sat. One of them had curly hair, and the other had luscious, brown hair, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Their hands were locked together. A small boy sat beside his mother, his hair matching his father's, he didn't make a face, only stared at the ground underneath him.

Bertram walked up to Jessie, "Morgan and Christina are on the phone."

She could tell her had been crying, either from his red eyes, or the scratch in his throat. Her hand reached out, and took the phone as he took a seat next to Ravi.

With a quiver in her voice she said, "Hello?"

Christina was crying something out over the phone, most of it Jessie couldn't understand, with a slight struggle, she heard Morgan's voice, "J-Jessie? Please. How are they?" he asked, panic in his voice, "They're our babies. Jessie, please. G-God. Please."

His voice went from place to place, she nodded her head in agreement, not that he would know, "I'll call you as soon as I get an update."

She could still hear Christina's cries in the background, before Morgan thanked her, and she silently hung up. Zuri came back from the restroom, she stared at the ground as she walked, not wanting to make eye contact. She just silently took a seat next to Bertram.

Across the room, a panicked woman ran in from the sliding doors, her hair in a messy bun, and an apron around her waist, "What happened? Where's Maya?!"

Topanga rose, her hands gripping the blonde's arms tightly, and embracing her. Cory was right behind her, rubbing his wife's back as she answered, "They were in a car crash. They're in surgery."

"Surgery?" Katy gasped, "How bad is it?"

Neither of the parents answered, Katy asked again, the young boy that was up to her waist, spoke up, "The doct'-person said Maya was thrown t'hoo the win'sheld'."

Katy looked at him, comprehending his eight-year old dialect, her eyes widened, looking back the parents, not finding words to say. A tear slid down her face, before hugging Topanga, her grip tight.

A doctor walked back into the room, her face distraught, the families all rose to their feet. Cory and Topanga's hands were locked together. Jessie gripped the crumpled magazine in her hands, while Zuri took a hold of Bertram's, as well as Ravi's.

The doctor's eyes were red, and she looked down the ground, "I'm so sorry..."


	2. Chapter 2

"Luke, if you don't shut up I swear to God I'll-" Emma yelled, "You'll do what?!" Luke yelled back, cutting his sister off, she remained silent, "Exactly."

She huffed, and watched him drive, "I can't believe they gave _you_ a license."

"Now who's the one that can't shut up?"

Emma paused, "What is with you?"

He didn't answer, she rolled her eyes and leaned back into her seat, whipping out her phone, "Whatever..."

They drived for some time in silence, the only noise coming from the clicking of Emma's phone, causing Luke to nonchalantly turned on the radio, clicking through the channels until he found a good song. The song, however, didn't lay well with Emma, who quickly turned down the music. Luke quickly turned it back up, louder than before.

She turned it off, with Luke lashing out, "Stop it!"

His hand reached out to swat her hand away, his eyes left the road, while hers remained. He passed the stop sign, "Luke!" she screamed, but it was too late.

* * *

The words hit the Ross family like bricks, they didn't move, they didn't speak, some didn't even believe. She uttered the words, "Luke Ross, has passed away."

Finally, after a minute of silence, they broke. Tears flooded their eyes, rolling down their faces like rivers. Zuri was screaming at the doctor, calling her a liar, while Ravi sobbed into Jessie's shoulder, whose arms were wrapped around him, holding him tight. Bertram couldn't cry, he was too busy gasping for air, his dry sobs hurting his body.

Across the room, Topanga's eyelashes were laced with tears, Cory was on the verge of crying, while Katy was balling. Auggie didn't know what to do, so he just sat there, awkwardly. They didn't know this boy, this _dead _boy, but they couldn't help but cry for the family who lost him, which could have easily been one of theirs. Even though their children are alive, their battle is far from over.

"H-How are the others doing?" Katy asked, her voice hoarse, as she wiped away the tears rolling down her face.

The doctor turned to her, "I'm sorry, I don't know."

She left after that, leaving the grieving family in the waiting room, promising them she'll return with news on Emma, as well as the others.

Jessie took a seat, her mouth gaping open, tears streaming down her face, "H-He's dead."

Time had stopped. The Ross' didn't know how they would go on, if they even could. Zuri was a mess on the floor, with Bertram trying to pry her off and get her in a chair, she wouldn't budge, she clawed at his arm, screaming for him to let her go. They got a few strange glances from other doctors, and other people in the waiting room.

"What do we tell Mom and Dad?" Ravi asked, blinking away his tears, his face a bright red color.

Jessie couldn't reply, she didn't even know how to say it. You don't just tell someone there son is dead. It just... can't happen.

* * *

"I'm Dr. Campbell, the neurosurgeon-" The man began, "Neurosurgeon? Like brains and stuff?" Katy asked, cutting him off. He nodded slowly, "T-There's something wrong with her brain?" She asked cautiously, coughing out the last word.

He paused, and saw her tear-stained face, "Ma'am, your daughter has numerous broken bones, abrasions, and a big brain bleed. We've stopped it so far, but there is only so much we can do for her."

She ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes were red and puffy, "Can she survive?"

Hearing herself ask the question nearly made her break down in tears. The thought, of her little Maya, _dead_. Her blood went cold even thinking of it.

Dr. Campbell handed her a tissue, "She can, if we manage to stop the bleeding."

"Will she be able to survive on her own?"

"I'm sorry?"

Katy breathed deeply, "Will she be able to survive without tubes? Without medical care 24/7? Will she be able to live a normal life?"

He didn't respond, "Will she be able to be happy?" Katy asked, louder.

No response, blinking back the tears didn't work this time. Tears rolled down her cheeks and neck, until it was staining the collar of her waitress outfit.

"We just don't know, Ms. Hart, we just don't know."

* * *

~ The Next Morning ~

Emma's chest rose suddenly, gaining the attention of everyone the room. Dr. Kopten shined a small flashlight into her eyes, "Miss? Can you tell me your name?"

The blonde looked up at the doctor, who she thought was extremely handsome.

"E-Emma... Emma Ross..."

He smiled, "Do you know what happened to you?"

She blinked, and swallowed the spit forming in her mouth, the taste of a plastic tube still lingered, "We... W-We were in a car accident..."

Her eyes widened, "Luke? Where's Luke?"

Jessie came into her line of vision, "Sweetie," she began, Emma seeing the dry tears streaked down her cheeks and neck.

"N-No..." Emma stated, cutting her off, "Don't say it. Please, God, don't say it."

Tears started to form, Jessie silently stood over her, her eyes refilling with tears for about the hundredth time or so. Emma's hand clasped over her mouth, shaking her head no.

"Luke!" She cried out, gripping onto her nanny's sleeve, "No! N-No!"

She felt the pain soar through her right arm, drawing her immediate attention, gasping in pain. Her arm was in a white, plastered cast, from her elbow down to her fingers. She also had bandages across her neck, chest, and back.

Jessie locked her fingers with Emma's, "Your parents are with him, right now."

Emma inhaled, her nose running, and tears still consistently streaming down her face.

* * *

"So Lucas will be fine?" Riley asked, rubbing her fingers across the bandages on her face.

Topanga's hand rested on her daughter's shoulder, "His doctor said the surgery went well, and if there are no further complications, he'll be going home in a week or so."

Riley nodded along, her breath stopping when she asked of Maya, which made Topanga's body tense, "Is she okay?"

Her body went cold with the answer, "Maya hasn't woken up yet." Was the heck was that supposed to mean? Definitely wasn't an answer in her book.

"W-Why not?" Riley replied, feeling the pain in her leg skyrocket, "You're freaking me out here..."

Cory walked in, tears filled his eyes, "What's wrong?" Topanga asked quickly before Riley had a chance.

"She's awake," He stated, gripping onto the end of the bed.

Riley sat back, "That's good, right?" She looked at both of her parents, before looking solely at her father, "Maya's okay, right?"

He wiped away the stray tear sliding down his face, "She's paralyzed."

The words didn't connect in Riley's mind, it just wasn't possible, "No," Riley blurted out, "No!"

"Honey-" Topanga began, "She's fine!" Cried out Riley, "She's not paralyzed! She's not!"

Cory walked around to Topanga's side, "Sweetie, she's paralyzed from the waist down. The chance of recovery is slim-to-none."

"She's fine," Riley stated coldly, "She may be a little busted up, but we all are. She is gonna be fine."


	3. Chapter 3

"Look, Ranger Rick, all I'm saying is that Farkle would have really enjoyed this trip, that's all." Maya blurted out, "Just because you and him got into that fight-"

"Drop it, Maya!" Lucas yelled, turning back the face her, while Riley tried her best to ignore their constant bickering. That's all she heard through the seven-hour car ride.

Maya's face turned red, "We should've brought Farkle, not you."

Riley rolled her eyes, pressing down on the gas, twisting down the curvy road, "You guys, please-"

"Shut up, Maya! We've been hearing you yap for over an hour!" Lucas hissed.

Maya silently unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbing the edges of the seat in front of her to pull herself upwards, she leaned into Lucas' ear, "Screw you!"

The car at the intersection in front of them didn't stop at the stop sign, Riley screamed, slamming on the brakes, the tires screeching and sparking against the asphalt.

* * *

"I-I'm fine, Ma," Lucas whispered, taking the jacket from her hands, "Can we please just get outta here?"

Her face was young, almost bubble-like, her hand reached his broad shoulder, "Sweetie, you were in a car crash, one of those poor kids lost their life, and your friend Maya, she can't even-"

"Get to the point," He hissed, cringing as he moved suddenly, his hand holding his side.

She paused, "Just take it easy, okay?" He nodded, quickly leaving the room, jacket in hand, while she had a backpack strapped to her shoulders.

The crowded hallway was no easy voyage, apparentally a building collapsed nearby, and all the injured were sent here. This was just the first wave, so Lucas and his mother planned to book it while they can. They passed a guy who had three pipes sticking out of him, pretty epic in Lucas' mind.

Swiftly, they serpentined through the crowd of doctors, nurses, and the injured, eventually making it to Riley's room, Lucas told his mother to go on ahead while he said goodbye to his crush.

"Howdy..." He said, a shy smile spread across his face.

She smiled, "Pretty hectic, huh?" Her eyes glanced down at the jacket in his hand, along with the boots on his feet, and the fact his mother was wearing his backpack not ten seconds before, "You leaving already?"

He giggled, which sent the butterflies in her stomach out of control, "Afraid so..."

Riley sent out her hand, locking it with his, fingers curling around each other, "Be safe, okay?"

"Okay," He smiled, leaning in and kissing her on the forehead, "You too," he whispered, before pulling away, and turning around. Her eyes watched as he left the room, re-entering the sea of people in the hallway.

Her breath was soft, before she glanced over at the vase of flowers Farkle left her a few hours earlier.

* * *

"Maya, darlin', please just try..." Katy said, giving her daughter a half-smile.

The wheelchair-bound, blonde stayed in the corner, "I can't." Her voice was quiet, and she let her golden locks fall in front of her face, hiding her vulnerability.

"Sweetie-" Katy began, "I can't!" Maya screamed, looking up at her mother, showing her the tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

Cory walked into the room, a cup of hot chocolate in hand, his usual smile-spread face looked miserable. He had bags under his eyes, and he hasn't shown a smirk in over a week.

"I brought someone to cheer you up, Maya..." He stated, trying his best to show a smile, dispute still looking like a frown to the young girl. Behind him, Josh walked in, his eyes syncing with the wheelchair-bound girl.

He gave her a wave, "Hi, Maya?"

She looked down at his feet, taking note of his jaunty walk, "Why are you here?"

Her stern voice was foreign to his ears, she was usually so sweet to him, annoyingly-sweet, "I-I came to talk to you..."

The grip on her wheelchair tightened, causing an alarming rate of white-knuckle, "Josh, please leave..." A low sigh escaped her lips with her hair shading her face, no one could see the tears continuously stream down her face.

"Maya, I'm not leaving." He sunk down to his knees, leaning closer and sliding the golden locks from her face, neatly tucking it behind her ear. She would be lying if she said she didn't have butterflies in her stomach.

Her voice shook, "Even when I'm like this?"

His smile made her blush, "You look beautiful, Maya, wheelchair and all."

Katy's jaw dropped when she saw a half-smile form on her little girl's face, watching as the older boy locked fingers with Maya, before leaning in and planting a kiss on her cheek. A full smile spread across her face, causing Katy and Cory to go teary-eyed.

"Do you want to try and wheel across the room?" Josh asked, his eyes staring into the ocean-blue ones before him.

She nodded, "Mom?"

Katy smiled at her, "Go on, Sweetie, try..."

Maya traced her fingers down to the sides of her wheelchair, gripping the wheels, before breathing in, and slowly breathing out. Her face went serious when she turned the wheel's forwards, and silently rolled across the room.

* * *

"Lucas?" Farkle asked, seeing him in the parking lot of the hospital. The ground was slick, the smell of rain still lingered in the air. The taller boy turned around, noticing his former-best friend a few feet away, turtleneck and all.

The silence shattered when Lucas' mom shut the car door, "I gotta go..." Lucas replied quickly, turning around and grabbing the handle of the car.

"I'm still here, you know," He paused when Lucas turned back around, "I'll always be here."

Lucas nodded, "I know." With one last glance, he disappeared inside the car, his silhouette illuminating from the tinted windows. Farkle stepped up onto the curb as Ms. Friar pulled out, and quickly left. With a gentle sigh, the turtleneck-loving boy headed for the hospital doors.

It didn't take long for him to find Riley's room, having found his way the six other times he's visited, one of which was about three-to-four hours before.

"Hey," His voice whispered, seeing Riley channel-surfing, Auggie was snoring on the green couch in the corner, with a trail of drool glistening down his chin. "Sup, Short-stuff?"

Her voice made him smile, knowing the fact he could have never heard that serenading, angelic-sound again. When he found out there had been an accident, his whole body went cold, immediately fearing the worst. The one thing he could think about, the one thing, was that he would never hear his friends voices again. Not another turtleneck joke from Maya, or another cheerful-hello from Riles, or a "How's it goin'?" from Lucas. He cried for hours that night, even going out to find the Matthew's house abandoned, knowing they were at the hospital.

"I'm fine," He smiled, "How's your leg?"

Riley looked down at the plaster-wrapped leg, "Barely feel anything right-"

"Excuse me?" A voice from behind quivered, Farkle glancing behind him to see a bruised-and-battered up blonde, "H-Hi, Emma right?" Riley quickly asked.

She nodded, her eyes fixating on the cast on the brunette's leg, "R-Riley?"

Farkle nodded along with Riley, before greeting himself, "I'm Farkle, nice to meet you."

His hand was waiting for hers, but it never came. His eyes quickly focused on the large, somewhat obvious cast on her arm, he quickly pulled his hand, "Sorry..."

"How are you?" Riley asked, ending the awkward silence.

Emma smiled, "I'm... trying..."

"And your family?"

She looked down at the ground, "They're in pieces... just trying to get them all back in place. B-But I just don't know how you get all the pieces back in place... w-when one the pieces is just... gone..."

Farkle blinked back the tears, remembering the time when his delicate heart was shattered when his Granpappy died. Granpappy and him were supposed to go fishing that Summer, but they never did. He could only imagine how much grief she must be experiencing, after all, Granpappy was almost eighty-years-old, Luke Ross was sixteen.

"You'll pull through," Riley glimmered up, "I know you will."

The tears in the blonde's eyes were contagious, steadily streaming down Farkle's face, he didn't know he cared this much.

Her bubbly-giggle was foreign to Riley's ears, Emma stepped closer, "I remember when I was twelve, and Luke was eleven, and when we were playing in this car-toy-thing, I told him he would die in a car crash..."

Riley's glimmer faded, "Em-"

"He was so upset," She smiled more, "I don't know why, but I kept telling him over and over again, up to the point where he was sobbing like a baby..."

Emma darkened, "I was right... I was..."

Riley's eyelashes were laced with tears, Farkle was dabbing tissues on his cheeks.

"I _didn't _want to be right."

* * *

"Ma'am, I'm deeply sorry for your loss, but we need to know a wood type, would you please?" The bald man lingered over his shoulder, Christina eyed the small ant crawling across the floor, dipping inside the small crack in the floorboards.

"Please, Ma'am?" His voice was starting to annoy her. Morgan walked in hastily, his face dry with tears. "Have we decided?"

Christina swallowed her spit, "Not yet. We're deciding between Mahogany and Walnut wood."

"I never imagined having to pick out my child's coffin. Our child was supposed to bury us. Not the other way around." Morgan's voice was low, but it struck Christina, easily letting her slip into another sobbing streak.

"Sir, please, you want your son to be buried in the best coffin possible, right?"

Big mistake. Morgan wanted to clock him, but he had a point, Luke deserved it. He nodded with a cringe, Christina crying into his shoulder, "W-Walnut."

A few minutes went by of Christina pulling herself together, while the man typed in the wood-type into the computer.

"Will it be an open c-coffin? W-Will we be able to see him?" Christina gasped from the words, choking back another son.

The man turned to them, sympathy written all over him, "Ma'am, your son sustained major injuries to his body..."

"I know," Her voice left her, and Morgan quickly took over, "We've seen him..."

His arm draped over her shoulders, "We would like everyone else to see him, as well."


	4. Chapter 4

"Will you just get in the car, Emma? I want to get this over with."

The blonde's shoulders sagged, "Believe me, I want to get this done more than you..."

"I doubt that," Luke muttered, pulling open his door, and sliding in the front seat, while Emma reluctanlty sat in the passanger's seat.

With a twist of the key, and the roar of the engine, the brother and sister drove into the crowded New York City streets.

* * *

_"My brother is dead," _Emma spoke, a shiver shaking her body as the last word parted from her lips, _"He's gone." _

Tears filled her eyes as she stepped back, her ruffled-black dress dancing around, with her left hand pressed on the dark Walnut coffin. Sighing as she swiped the delicate locks of gold from her face, eyeing the portrait of her younger brother, his innocent smile didn't match anyone's look at the funeral.

She thumbed the blue orchid on the podium in front of her, feeling a small breeze blow by her, the sunshine raining down on them. Not setting the mood well, at all.

Christina was weeping, dabbing her face with an endless-supply of tissues, as Morgan held her tight, his face stone-cold. Ravi refused to look at the coffin, and Zuri couldn't help but break down when she saw her brother's portrait, written on it, _"Luke Filbert Ross; May 28th, 1999 - August 19th, 2016." _

The coffin had been open a few minutes before, but his body, his gray-toned skin, and his dress suit, were just too much for the frail family to handle. The coffin was shut, and his lifeless face vanished.

A group of dancers sat in the back, one of them silently crying.

Despite being sixteen, the young dancer still had a special place in his heart for his fuzzy friend, Kenny the Koala, who was gingerly placed in the boy's arms. He was buried next to his late-grandfather, as well as his cousin, who lost his life overseas.

* * *

"Will you stay with me?" The young brunette asked, her voice shaky. Lucas nodded, slowly sitting down next to her, "I'm worried about her." She added.

His emerald-green eyes gazed into hers, "I know," his voice was tender, "I am too."

A shy smile formed as he took her hand, the two remained silent, waiting in the claustrophobic waiting-room. His foot tapping, combined with her chin tapping, cooled them down. Her crutches rested against the chair next to her, with her leg wrapped in a pale pink color, covered in sharpie-signatures.

"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice called out, the couple turned their heads, seeing their vibrant, turtleneck-loving friend, Farkle.

"Not at all," smiled Riley, stretching out her hand, "Maya should be out in a few minutes."

Lucas gave him a nod, "She needs us all."

A long stretch of silence followed, where Farkle took a seat next to Lucas. Riley's head was nestled into Lucas's shoulder, and her free hand was locked with Farkle's.

The door ahead of them cracked open, fingers sliding through, and pulling it open even more. The teenager's bodies went stiff, watching as Maya smiled back at them, rolling out of the room, with a custom-styled wheelchair, of course. Katy was right behind her, Josh next to her, his hand resting on her shoulder, with Cory leaving the room last.

"Sup, Ranger Rick?" Maya asked, eyes locked with Lucas, he smiled, and choked out, "Nothin' much."

Her eyes caught Riley's teary ones, "Don't cry, Riles," she sighed, "It's embarrassing..."

The blonde and brunette giggled in harmony, Cory and Katy's faces lighting up with delight, Josh smiling as well.

"Same old turtleneck?" Maya asked after she breathed. Farkle couldn't help but smile, "Same old Maya."

Topanga walked around the corner, Auggie right by her side. "MAYA!" The little boy ran towards her, his curls bouncing as he embraced her. Topanga hugged her too, kissing her cheek as she pulled away, before locking hands with Cory.

"Wanna get some food? I'm starving!" Maya's voice was more than comforting, almost soothing. Katy nodded, "Nighthawk Diner, my treat."

* * *

Watching his grave go into the ground was mortifying. None of the Ross family was holding back tears. Emma and Zuri were sobbing into each other's dresses. Ravi crying into Jessie's shoulder, no longer having an older brother to comfort him. Bertram was a weeping mess. But none of them compared to Morgan and Christina. The sobbing mother had a paper bag in her hand, her stomach was churning inside her, watching as the small coffin slowly descended into the earth. Morgan's face was shiny, almost slick with tears. He let out a kiddish-whimper every few seconds.

* * *

"This is _so _good, Mom!" Maya smiled, taking in another bite of pancakes, coated in a thick layer of syrup, with a big mountain of whip-cream to the side. "Thanks, Sweetie," Katy echoed.

Hearing their satisfying moans of approval as they gobbled the food down made the exhausted-waitress smile. And seeing her daughter smile made her nearly burst into tears of joy.

Cory, Topanga, and Josh were stretched out across the bar, all three enjoying a delicious meal of warm pancakes, too.

Despite growing looks from strangers, watching as Maya devoured her weight in food, the blonde didn't let it bother her. She always liked being the center-of-attention anyway...


	5. Chapter 5

_August 19th, 2017_

Exactly One Year Ago, Today... Four friends gathered around the tombstone, Riley resting against Lucas's shoulders, while Farkle gently massaged Maya's shoulders, gazing at the grave, nearly in tears. It still looked fresh amongst the older tombstones, with it's glassy-appearance shining, while the adjacent ones are worn down by weather, and the ravages of time. Luke's will look like that too, but not today.

"We all lost something that day, whether we want to acknowledge it or not." Maya stated, "I lost the ability to walk. Luke here, he lost his life. And his family, they lost their son, their brother, they lost a part of their lives."

A tear slid down her face, "He'll never get to go to his Senior Prom, or ever graduate, or get married, have kids... He'll never get to experience those things. Just because of a careless mistake all of us made, and it'll haunt us forever."

Riley blinked back her tears, while Lucas wiped off his own, and Farkle finally teared up when he heard Maya sniffle.

"Hello?" A familiar voice called out, almost strained.

All four heads turned, and locked on to the blonde-headed beauty. "E-Emma?" Riley coughed out.

Her smile was almost unnatural to their eyes, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Lucas gave her a smile, "Been a long year..."

Maya noticed the flowers in her hand, "Are those for Luke?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Emma nodded, "His favorite color was blue," she held out the bouquet, a mix of white roses, and blue hydrangeas.

"They're beautiful," Maya added, "He'll love them."

Emma smiled, "Wanna see the family? They'd love to see you all."

Riley gripped Maya's shoulders, "They want to see... us?"

With a nod, the eighteen-year-old stepped closer, and placed the bouquet against the tombstone, "Be back soon, little bro."

* * *

Maya nervously sipped out of the small cup of water, noticing the fresh, clean-cut taste of rich-people water. The sparkling kind. Her eyes wondered across the amazing living room, which had since been turned into a gallery of Luke-centered pictures. But she zeroed-in on the picture near the couch, of Luke on his sixteenth birthday with his brand new car.

The car.

"Is your, uh, nanny?" Lucas began, "S-Still working here?"

Emma shook her head no, "She left a few months after Luke passed away."

He nodded, "I'm sorry."

The door leading to the kitchen creaked open, a now fifteen-year-old Ravi peered out to them. "Ravi," Emma motioned him closer, "Do you remember-"

"The people who killed Luke?" Ravi cut her off.

Maya's shoulders sagged, while Riley leaned back into the seat with Lucas, while Farkle looked down at his feet. They knew it, they just weren't used to being called it.

"Murderers." Ravi's voice lingered before Emma shooed him away, "I'm sorry..." she whispered, her sincere voice now hoarse.

"Don't be," Maya gave a weak smile, "He has a right to be mad."

There was a silent pause, all of them awkwardly taking sips of their drinks. "My parents should be down any minute." Emma gazed up at the landing of the stairs, nothing. She blinked and batted her eyes with a clearly-fake smile. "I'll go check on them."

Maya nodded her off, all four friends watching as she disappeared up the stairs. Suddenly they felt like every Luke photo was staring down at them, and they couldn't help feel uncomfortable.

* * *

"Mom?" Emma called out, peeking into her parents room, "Dad?"

Christina was sobbing on the bed, continuously dabbing her swollen eyes while Morgan gazed out the window.

"Not now, Em." Morgan coughed, "Not now."

Emma looked down at her mother, "Mom?"

Christina didn't look up at her, she just shook her head no and motioned for her to go away. Once Emma closed the door behind her, she wiped away the stray tears that slid down her cheeks. Her face scrunched up like a small baby's as more tears rolled down her face. She gripped onto the table by the door, letting out a quiet sob before moving closer to the staircase.

It took her a few minutes to stop crying, and another few to get her to go back downstairs. Emma was greeted by a note left on the table, with all the guest's cups of water sitting neatly on the coasters.

_"We know we hurt your family. We're not gonna hurt any of you anymore." _

Emma collapsed onto the couch, fresh tears flooding down her face. In a sense, she was glad they left. She didn't feel good about it, but they needed time. A year wasn't enough, she wasn't sure a lifetime was even enough. But deep down, she knew that Luke's death was an accident, but it took a lot of strength to talk with the people who were apart of that accident. That was enough for her right now.

* * *

Maya pressed her head against the headrest; the day was beautiful, the sun was shining, and the sky was a crisp, ocean-blue. She admired the clouds, they looked almost magical. Artistic, in fact. A smile crept across her face as she closed her eyes. The chatter of her three best friends in the car was enough to send her to her happy place. Funny, for a split second, she thought she caught a glimpse of some freckles...

**The End**


End file.
